Mammele – I read the Hamodia article (page 42 of Hamodia’s digital edition from Wednesday), and Prof. Helfand (who I don’t know) agrees it needs to be scrutinized and then decided based on the law. He’s quite evenhanded by discussing the merits of both sides.
I’m more concerned with Zwiebel’s comments, where he expects special treatment due to his religious beliefs. That is exactly what the Aino Yehudim see happening, and therefore see the Jews as a bunch of lawbreakers who use their block vote (and monetary) power to corrupt politicians and hurt others.
If Satmar would create their own pool, and open exclusively to membership (to Satmar members in good standing), that would be private but still allow gender segregation (even with a strict reading that no one would begin to interpret the law as meaning; that reading would also disallow gender based bathrooms and locker rooms, so it is quite a red herring).